Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Campaign Update: Erin Weir

In what has become a campaign staple for Erin Weir, he's taken a direct swing and issued a challenge to Brad Wall's government recently. Erin has called for the provincial government to stand up for the residents of Saskatchewan and be ready to address changes that the Federal Government is making to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS).

He's called on the government to enhance the CPP as it is the best pension option for workers in the province.

Erin's also put forward a plan with regards to extending coverage of OAS, in the event that the Federal Government doesn't reverse course with regards to moving the OAS age requirement from 65 to 67. While Erin's first plan is to elect a federal NDP government in the next election that would reverse the change, he's also put forward a backup plan for the province to follow.

Erin's plan calls for the province to create its own benefit to cover those in the 65 and 66 age bracket until they reach the Federal OAS age requirement. Erin's also noted that such a plan could easily be paid for with the same cost that the SK Party's proposed 2% corporate tax reduction would cost. Erin's also advocated for a ten year residency requirement, much like the federal requirement, to prevent relocation to the province simply to collect the benefit.

It's an interesting concept, and one that I'm sure many on the verge of retirement are going to take a good listening to. And the fact that he's tied it to Wall's corporate tax cuts, in terms of value per cost, is going to put the Premier in an interesting position should someone in the media step up and pose the question to him. After all, it's hard to justify corporate tax cuts when there is a positive alternative that will affect workers and seniors in the province.